Tyler Moore watches his go-ahead single fall into shallow right field.

Updated at 9:00 p.m.

ST. LOUIS — Their starting pitcher couldn't find the strike zone to save his life. Their only player with considerable postseason experience couldn't deliver a hit with men in scoring position. Their Gold Glove corner infielders couldn't make routine plays in the field.

In so many ways, the Nationals couldn't have drawn up a worse set of storylines for their first-ever postseason game. And yet, when they looked up at the scoreboard at Busch Stadium at the end of 3 hours and 40 minutes of the most tension-filled ballgame a team from Washington had experienced in 79 years, wouldn't you know they found themselves victorious.

Rookie Tyler Moore delivered the biggest base hit in Nationals history, a two-out, two-strike, two-run single to right in the top of the eighth, turning what was shaping up to be a ragged Game 1 of the National League Division Series into a rousing 3-2 win.

"I don't really know how we won that game, to be honest," reliever Craig Stammen said. "But we pulled it out somehow, and that's kind of how the playoffs goes. You just kind of pull games out."Read more »

All's well that ends well. Walks, hit batsmen, errors, a wild pitch, failure to put the ball in play with RISP – you name it. They tried their best to give the game away. And when the Cards finally made one slip-up, the Nats stole the game.That's what winners do.TyMo's the man.

Yes, this was very rousing. Moore looked GREAT! Zimmerman looked terrible. He definately is not a clutch hitter. He also chokes. We need more Harpers, Desmonds, Moores, Browns, and Garcia's. Now, get game two!! GO NATIONALS!!

I think that Gio should change his last name to Cojones!I mean 7 walks sportsfans, and still kept chugging.Wad a spectacular catch by Werth at the wall–Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezus!!!!!!!And Country's poke to RF!!!!Let put the Cards in the cooler tomorrow, and plug it in when we play in DC on Wednesday.

I didn't want to say it when we were talking about the A's losing and someone said they were showing themselves to be a good team==>good teams pull these games out. An Astros fan told me that when we had those close games in Houston. Good teams win those games. The A's have to go home and sweep. Not saying they won't but odds are against them. And odds are with us, now. Zimmermann is a tough cookie and our bullpen held. Let's go home 2-0, boys.

I'm just so glad they've established themselves on the National stage right off the bat. So many times we played flat when there was a nationally televised game. Plus you just never know how they're all going to handle the pressure, because, let's face it, they ARE a little green. This is just huge.

Great postgame interview on TBS with TyMo. Poised, composed, humble. Just get the barrel on the ball and put it in play. All year long he's shown the other guys how to do that. Class act, and so cool for him to get the national exposure.

Also.. Don't forget the contributions that both Harper and Werth made in the OF (Even the Beast Made a good catch) May not have done it at the plate today, but they all contributed. The rust has been knocked off. I expect the Nats Bats to be frisky tomorrow.

There is nothing else like this anywhere in professional sports. [Pardon the oxymoron.] Nothing comes close.I was all set to post that all fans got their money's worth today. And then – this.Wednesday's first ever playoff game in town will be historic.And a technical question — I've often wondered: in a slam dunk [pardon the other game analogy] bunt situation, why don't they throw only high fast balls, and get the pop up?MicheleS — I'm with you. WOOOOOOo HOOOOO.

Awesome, awesome. Win ugly as many times as you can, boys. It had been at least 25 years since I found myself grunting or pleading before and after every single pitch of a ballgame.NatsLady- The rain delay occurred to me, too. It's even better to be on the road, though, when you go up 1-0. Oh, please, please go up 2-0. This game was not impressive, but they still kept the Cards to 3 hits. Let's have some Nats offense tomorrow, guys.+1/2St.

Davey on postgame says Espi's bunt was his call, and it was a straight sacrifice, trying to get the winning run in scoring position. Thought about pinch running E-Jax for Morse so it could be a safety squeeze, but didn't want to risk injuring E-Jax (who will start Game 3). Fascinating. The guy has a golden touch.

NatsJack — I think that the staff's performance has more or less tempered [but not ended] the second guessing of the Stras thing. But I certainly agree that you are right — this kind of thing removes or at least postpones it as a yapping point for the guys in the national booths.

Yes – one down and two to go! I kept saying, "we got this" and visualizing the winning Nats pitcher being interviewed after the game. My rent-a-cat came over and sat in my lap in the late innings. I guess now he'll have to do that for every game. That could present a problem on Wednesday, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Anyone want to go? I have to work (Evil boss)Cheryl Nichols‏@cnichols14I just got an email from the #Cards saying that there are still tickets available for tomorrow's game. Flights are too much though. 😦 #NLDS

@Sam — a lot of pitchers try that. But if the bunter lays off the high ones, you risk walking them. Another tactic is to through at their head, particularly in a squeeze situation. Hard to get the bat on the ball when you're diving out of the way.

Donald — I'm aware of the response to a detected squeeze attempt of throwing at the hitter to get him out of the way. But still I wonder at the strategy of going down in the zone in a no questions asked sacrifice bunt situation.

Nats Lady, thanks for the note on the circumstances today on the road va at home. Plus EJax and Det pitch much better at home than on the road (look at their meltdowns vs the Cards on the road).So we get our two aces to pitch on the road — and despite Gio's control meltdown, he did not give up one hit any time it mattered — and our two home-cooking' pitchers* in Nats Park*Det if necessary.

222@7:18 — Actually, if you go back and listen very carefully, Davey never explicitly said he signaled the bunt (at least, that I heard). He gave an explanation of why Danny bunted. Maybe that was just Davey in his own head being Davey but to me it sure sounded like he wasn't going to say Danny did it on his own. On the other hand, if Danny did it on his own, it's at least understandable given how lost he was in his first three ABs. However wise or unwise it was, it was still a productive out.

Such a great win!I did not go to the game posts (over 400!!) No nit picking but tell me that Harper doesn't score from 3rd when the pitcher throws to first.Please come home 2-0 lads.Go Nats!! Score first!! Win the NLDS!!

It was fun to hear Kurt on MASN giggling about how much fun today was. 1a, we also kept saying, "You GOT this," and seeing the good opportunities. If one of us would flip to despair, the rest would bring us back to all the good that could happen. And that brings me back to Kurt's giggle. And Tyler Moore's composure. They really are having fun, and it shows. Signing off from The Happy Place!

Steady, I thought that at first too, as he started the answer. But later when he was asked if the safety squeeze was on he said, "no, it was just get the guy over." He also talked about possible using E-Jax to pinch run for a squeeze, but deciding against it. And his initial answer did suggest that he didn't have a lot of confidence in Espi since he had K'd twice so was going to be happy with getting the winning run in scoring position. On balance, I'm pretty sure he was saying he called that play. And it ended up paying off, amazingly enough. Looks like a fun time at Duffy's today. (Video posted on twitter.) Anyone thinking of watching there tomorrow?

For any of you that were listening to the radio, did you also notice that Charlie Slowes seemed a little restrained on the Tyler Moore call and final out, compared to the regular season? It is almost as if he doesn't want to get too excited and jinx the postseason.+1/2St.

Matheny's interview about the chess match with Davey in the 8th was pretty cool. He actually thought about going to Motte against Tracy (4 out safe) but would have had to doubleswitch and take out Holliday or Molina. Said he had confidence that his lefty would get out one of our "young" RH hitters. Guess he won't be underestimating TyMo any more.

Storen was on. Another cool cookie . My friend at the game said the fans there were great to them and said that if they can't win it all they would like it to be the Nats! They respect our team. They had a great time.

Peric,Earlier you wrotr of me as a Band Wagon fan. As usual you were wrong again. I have followed this version of Washington Baseball since the announcement in 2004. Also I was following the Senators since I was 8 in 1963. Probably brfore you were a gleam in your fathers eye.You have continually insulted almost everybody on this blog. You are beneath my contempt.

One of these days, the Nats' inability to get a runner home from third with less than two outs is going to kill them. You take what runs you can get in the playoffs with its outstanding pitching. They got TWO pick-me-up singles with two outs today. Next time they may not be so lucky.Ironic that aside from Werth, about the only other players who know when to shorten their swing and flick a Texas-leaguer or sac fly are rookies (Harper, Moore).I'll take the win though. Outstanding and clutch!

Best part about this win is that it neutralizes the idiotic 2 road games, 3 home games division series playoff format. Now no matter what happens the first postseason game since 1933 won't be an elimination game for the Nats.

Since I am dying down here in NC while our Nats continue their road to destiny, I would love to see us wrap this up on Wed. Not only would I get money put toward next years tickets, I would be back for the Sunday opener of the NLCS. Not going to think that far forward, just one game at a time. Looking for JZimmnn to be a bulldog tomorrow and for Harper and Werth to bounce back, get on base and score some runs.

@Snivius – THEY WON. In the playoffs, that is ALL that matters. You think maybe the Cards might be a little upset at themselves about getting seven free passes from the Nats ace but only scoring two runs? The Nats proved to themselves and the world that they can win a playoff game on the road against the World Champions even while playing far from their best. The importance of that cannot be underestimated.

To Positively : Slowes hams it up during the season because his voice over often times gets on the ESPN and MLB Network plays of the night. So He hams it up.Knowing no one would be hearing him, he kept it real. Slowes is such an idiot — and horrible announcer.

What does Werth have to do to get some love?It was a timely bloop single by Moore, but the game would have been over if Werth doesn't make the catch of the season, scaling the wall and somehow holding on after his wrist hit the fence. Today's catch and the one by Bernadina were two of the best that I have seen. Today's catch by Werth easily matched Joe Rudi's famous catch against the Reds in the 1972 Series.

WOW. And whew. Ian is right, Cardiac Nats it is. I think that the experience factor is more relevant with the manager. And I have to give a vote to Kurt Suzuki for player of the game – if he hadn't been on the money there could have been a lot more damage those 1st couple of innings.Wish they would announce the time for Wed's game.

I get frustrated by Charlie's constant scoreboard reporting too, but to call him a horrible announcer is ridiculous. He and Dave are a great team, knowledgable and funny. Their calls of big plays get on MLB Network because they are very dramatic. Werth's catch saved the game, no doubt about it. And just think, we won this game with Zim and ALR making errors (though ALR's was a really tough hop) and Harper basically not do anything of note. That won't last. This series is really shaping up well.

Game ball goes to Davey. That whole pinch in Tracy, then swap in Moore after the pitching change. That's a good manager with confidence in his bench right there. And let's not forget, this bench is Davey's baby. He campaigned for it, fought for it, and hand-picked it. And then he trusted it. Mark said we had the edge in bench depth and relief pitching depth. That little shuffle played to our advantage in a big way by forcing the cards to reach deeper into their bullpen while letting Davey dip into our excellent bench in response. Great manager. Great win. Let's Go Nats!!!

We have focused so much on gio's adventures and the lack of hitting with runners on, but a ton of great things happened. Werth's catch and a couple of other outfield catches, the bullpen!, which we were all kind of worried about, Tyler Moore, Kurt Suzuki was being just pelted with the ball and he saved most of them. There were definitely high spots. The biggest — I can't get over Mattheus coming in with bases loaded and no outs and getting three outs on 2 pitches! That's a Houdini Act! It's one of those things I am appreciating more now that the game is over. I keep marveling at how ridiculously hard that is. That should definitely make some highlight packages.

Section 222 – Bryce may not have anything to show for it but he had very good at bats and got robbed of a hit. He took quite a few pitches and looked fine at the plate. Not at all like a green kid. As usual.

The announcers make a big deal about the Cards "missed chances," how about the Nats (Jayson, I'm looking at you) leaving the bases loaded twice? Don't forget Suzuki struck out before Moore got his hit. Both teams had chances to make this a blowout. Our bullpen held serve. That was KEY.I'm curious why Davey used Bernadina to PH early instead of Lombo. Then he couldn't use Bernie later in LF. Very luckily Morse made that play. He put forward a great effort and made it.The Kid was fine, he got robbed of a hit; he didn't let the Sun Monster get him in CF. I know he said he didn't have the jitters… but, everyone had to have a little. That game is over and the boys know that baseball is baseball.

I'm with Jane when it comes to Charlie and Dave. I really enjoy listening to them.Werth's catch was pretty much a game saver, as was Ryan M 's two pitch, three out performance. What can you say about Tyler Moore? Clippard and Storen were lights out! It was a great TEAM win, ugly, or not.

Steady….I'm with you. I don't think Davey called the bunt. I think he did a good job of dancing the question. I think Espi knew he wasn't going to make contact and he did the only thing he could. Rather than k again, he laid down a bunt. It all worked out. Great, great win.

Well, technically he wasn't on my lap at that point. He was upstairs. I screamed in excitement at the go-ahead hit, then ran up to tell him that everything was okay and I was fine and happy. Then he came downstairs and fell asleep in my lap. :-)Another_Sam said… natsfan1a — I don't know how cats react, buy I erupted at the winning hit so much that my dog felt chastised, yelped, and ran away to hide. I consoledhim and got him back by the TV. October 07, 2012 7:31 PM

Don't get me wrong, Harper played very well. No complaints. But he didn't do anything spectacular — no circus catches, Ankiel like throws, hustle doubles or triples, tape measure homers. And we still won the game. He's definitely not nervous or intimidated, and I expect he will wow national TV audience very soon.

After playing almost every single day, this was a fairly long layoff. It was their first playoff game, it was on the road, it was cold, there were 50 thousand opposing fans. I think they did ok. The rust is off. Hoping Jordan isn't too strong, though. I like these guys better on regular routines. If Jordan is on his game, it will be a long day for their hitters. If not, it will be a long day for our defense and hitters. Either way – go nats!

We have one big advantage in this series that I haven't seen too much on — our bullpen is very balanced (LH and RH). They only have one LH reliever, the guy with the unpronounceable name who I'll call Mr. R. Matheny used Mr. R today and didn't even get to pitch him against a LH hitter. Davey is going to constantly outsmart him on these matchups or Matheny will throw him out there in some inning where Harper and ALR are due to come up and Tracy will then get to pinch hit against a rightie in the 8th or 9th. I like those odds.

Just saw this, Michele. That's cute. :-)MicheleS said… 1A.. It looks like Drake has his own paparazzi. I have seen about 4 or 5 pics of him on twitter. All the beat's are commenting on how lucky he is or how jealous everyone is of him !!!

So I guess today was the first time a Washington, DC baseball team won a playoff game since Oct. 5, 1933. If we win tomorrow it will be the first time a Washington, DC baseball team has won more than one game in a series since 1925.

@Nats Fans Since StartTo Positively : Slowes hams it up during the season because his voice over often times gets on the ESPN and MLB Network plays of the night. So He hams it up.Knowing no one would be hearing him, he kept it real. Slowes is such an idiot — and horrible announcer._____The most unadulterated bs post I have seen on this board.

To think on the same day and in different ballparks Gio would be seriously outpitched by one of the youngins he was traded for in Tommy Milone.Seriously. And to think that Tommy Milone would technically start a playoff game before Gio would. Don't think anyone would have predicted that either. Of course, Gio's team won and Tommy's lost, which is what really counts.

Another Sam — re your dog, I love it. While our calm 10 year old dog is deaf and oblivious to our emotional turmoil during the game, our neurotic 5 year old (they're both large Springer Spaniels) is obsessively tuned to our emotions. After Mattheus' masterful 7th, we had to send both dogs out of the room so the young guy wouldn't pee on the rug out of fright at our sudden outbursts. Which was a good move in light of TMo in the top of the eighth, Clip in the bottom, and Druuuu in the ninth.

"To think on the same day and in different ballparks Gio would be seriously outpitched by one of the youngins he was traded for in Tommy Milone."And we should care about that why exactly? Not to knock Milone, but Gio was much better than the "youngin" all season long. Don't make that trade and the Nats most likely do not win the division.

Ghost, no doubt. He's a great story. Thank goodness his September callup (and Peacock's) were good enough to convince the A's to go after them and trade Gio. Karlko, of course Gio has been better. He's a Cy Young candidate. But no one could have predicted that both Gio and Tommy would end up pitching a playoff game this year. Don't you think that's kind of cool, at least? Plus, people who followed the team last year liked Tommy, and wish him well. Did you see his HR in his first at bat? Unforgettable.

Whether or not Fielder pays off over the long term, he was worth every penny they paid him this year. No reason to call him the overpriced 1B. Time will tell, but Detroit got what they were looking for, and they are back in the playoffs, which is more than can be said for Fielder's former team.

upperdeck4 said…@Nats Fans Since StartTo Positively : Slowes hams it up during the season because his voice over often times gets on the ESPN and MLB Network plays of the night. So He hams it up.Knowing no one would be hearing him, he kept it real. Slowes is such an idiot — and horrible announcer._____The most unadulterated bs post I have seen on this board.October 07, 2012 9:37 PM———-"the most unadulterated bs post"3 may be a stretch, but it's up there with some pretty bad ones.

I think the weather was Gio's problem. South Florida guy, been pitching on the warm side of the Bay. 52 degrees will be a bit of a shock to the system. Here's hoping for a nice Indian Summer day for his next turn.That said, he truly pitched a heckuva game. He is a magnificent pitcher.

You have continually insulted almost everybody on this blog. You are beneath my contempt.Just shut it Nats Guy you started it when you personally insulted both myself and JayB who have been here far longer than you. You are a jerk and a hypocrite and contemptuous … not to mention also stupid.

I think the nerves will be behind them now. I was upset about how Werth looked at the plate but him, Mattheus and Moore saved this game.So is it the TBS strike zone tracker that's unreliable or was it the umpire? They were wrong half the time.

To think on the same day and in different ballparks Gio would be seriously outpitched by one of the youngins he was traded for in Tommy Milone.He was what kept Rizzo from pulling the trigger … before ownership balked on the trade. Beane wouldn't take Lannan or any other replacement he wanted Milone. Guess Billy Beane is a pretty smart guy.

Are sure peric? I thought it was Cole that Rizzo really didn't want to give up. Pretty sure as much as everyone liked Milone, Rizzo didn't see a future in our rotation for another soft tossing lefty. BillyB is definitely smart. He got very good value in that trade for Gio. Still glad we did it though. Aren't you?

Sports Illustrated saying Davey called the Espi bunt with Morse on 3rd and Desi in 1st and no outs and it wasn't even a safety squeeze.It worked out thanks to TyMo but just goes counter to Daveys own philosophies.What does that say to Espi? Nolo contendere?

The Gio-for-Milone et al deal is the reason we're still playing. Gio has given us the pitching "muscle" to stare down the Barves and win this thing. Milone is a nice pitcher and a couple of the prospects might pan out. But don't think for a minute that Milone would have pitched us into the postseason.The trade worked out well for both clubs. It's an example of why Rizzo doesn't believe all trades have to be a zero-sum game; sometimes, both teams can gain. This is an example of that. But as I've said about this deal from Day 1, the Nats got more. The fact that we extended Gio for four years within a month of the trade attests to that.It was a good trade for Beane. It was a great trade for Rizzo.

Hey, we still got Nails' kid when we shipped Nyjer off to Milwaukee.But you're right, 222. Funny in that Pittsburgh trade, how the two "throw-ins" — Gascanrahan and Burnett — have both added a lot of value to their new teams. You never really know.

Tyler Moore's game and his demeanor reminds me a lot of a young Jeff Bagwell. I hope the team gets him 400 at-bats next season to show what he can do. Espinosa apologists will defend his bunt today, but as Johnson all-but-admitted in his post-game interview, the move was not of the manager's choosing as it gave up an out when the team had only six left and trailing late in the game. When he looks confused at the plate, as he was today, it becomes almost unbearable to watch. I hope the baptism is over for him, and he and a few other guys on the team can start to relax and play their A-game.

Section 222 said, "I thought it was Cole that Rizzo really didn't want to give up. Pretty sure as much as everyone liked Milone, Rizzo didn't see a future in our rotation for another soft tossing lefty."I believe Rizzo was begging the A's to take Detwiler or Sammy Solis over Cole, but the latter was the deal breaker.

rogieshan said… Tyler Moore's game and his demeanor reminds me a lot of a young Jeff Bagwell. I hope the team gets him 400 at-bats next season to show what he can do. @Rogie, I don't think you have to worry about that. Given that ALR will be in high demand in the offseason, and we may be reluctant to offer a multi-year deal, I think it's almost a given tha Moore may be penciled in as the starting first baseman. Kid can hit. He's not ALR in the field, but first base is his natural position. Kid has shown me a lot, adapting to left field, and hitting a ton whenever/wherever we've played him. Either way, first base is in good hands. The entire infield actually is, Espi's K's notwithstanding.

Davey did not call it (Espinoza bunt) he covered for him…but no way he called that. I've read at least 25 articles (junkie) and most baseball writers agree it was espi acting on his own. Question: what is "web gem" Peric, natsguy. Not today, Plz. Hug it out.

Sunshine said, "Either way, first base is in good hands. The entire infield actually is, Espi's K's notwithstanding."I agree wholeheartedly. As for Espinosa, I believe his performance this postseason will determine his future on the team. Got to think Rendon is breathing down his neck.

rogie — As for Espinosa, I believe his performance this postseason will determine his future on the team.You haven't been listening to anything Davey has said about Danny if you think that. He will have next year to show he can bring his game together in his third year in the majors, just as Desi did this year. I agree that Danny can't keep being so stubborn in his plate approach. Believe that that will be his ST project as it was for Desi this year.Due to injuries Rendon has played all of a few weeks in the minors. At best, if he tears it up in AAA next year, he may come up around the ASG, more likely August or September, barring a big injury to a starter.